Water heater



w. STEELE 2,092,658

Sept. 7, m7.

WATER HEATER Filed Jan. 25, 1936 u is Fig. 2

QW \Vil 11am 1... Steele Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI CE WATER HEATER .William L. Steele, near Seattle, Wash., assignor to Radiator Specialty Company, Charlotte, N. 0. a corporation of North Carolina l Application January 25, 1936, Serial No. 60,847

, 8 Claims.

My invention relates to water heaters, particularly such as are employed for heating hot water for domestic purposes in furnaces or like heating plants. It is not, however, to-be understood that this is its sole use, as it-may indeed be used as a booster for more quickly heating the hot water of a hot water circulating or heating system, and for like purposes. More generally, then, my invention concerns a heater whereby water 10 may be heated in conjunction with a heating plant, and the rate of heating may be adjusted to suit conditions. I

For example, during the Winter months, when the heating plant is working continuously or a large part of the time ,it sometimes happens that the fixed coil type of domestic hot water heater will heat undue quantitiesofhot water, and it is necessary to allow some of it to escape, yet in spring months, when the heating plant is turned on infrequently, there is not a sufficient supply of hot water heated for domestic purposes. It is a primary object of my invention, then, to provide such a water heater for usein such' domestic installations, which can be adjusted to suit condi- 5 tions, to increase or decrease the rate of heating of hot water.

It is a further object to provide such a water heater which will be simple, convenient and inexpensive, and which is readily installed in the most advantageous location in the heating plant.

While my invention is most suitable for use in conjunction with an oil burner, for example, and will be so described, it will be evident as the specification progresses that it might be employed in conjunction with other fuels and burners, and

therefore it will be understood to relate generally to heating plants, however fired.

My invention comprises the novel water heater, per se, and the novel combination thereof with the domestic furnace and hot water system, as

herein shown, described, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my invention in a preferred form, and in a typical installation.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete installation, the furnace being broken away and shown in section.

Figure 2 is an axial section through the hot water heater.

The heater itself is a hollow body I, preferably of generally cylindrical shape, and adapted to be installed with its axis upright, that is, vertical or substantially so. It is provided with two ports II and I2, one for connection of a cold water 55 pipe and one for the connection of a hot water pipe. It is immaterial which of these ports be used for the hot water or for the cold water, as they are interchangeable. Indeed, the body I is provided with a third port III which might be used for the connection of the cold water, with an outlet at the top for the hot water, but in order to protect the cold water pipe from direct flame, and thereby obtain more reliable regulation, it is preferable that the cold and hot water both be connected at the top, and that the port It be closed by a plug 2. One reason for providing the port III is for convenience in supporting the core in casting the body I, for it is cast with a baflie I3 extending from the top downward to near the bottom, sothatcold water is forced to flow down under the baflle before it can flow out of the hot water port. 1

The body I is exteriorly threaded, as indicated at l4. These threads serve two purposes. Primarily they are for adjustment of a disk 3, which serves as a deflector, but they also serve the purpose of better absorbing heat from flames playing uponthe body and conductingthis heat to the interior, where it is transferred to the water circulating through it.

The disk or deflector 3 is suitably threaded upon the threads I4, as for example, by providing it with several spaced lugs 3|, which are helically disposed within a central aperture 30, of a size to pass readily over the outside of the threads I4. For ready adjustment of the deflector it may be provided with a series of upstanding lugs 32, by means of which it may be engaged to turn it.

The installation is shown in Figure 1. A hot water tank 4 is connected to the heater I by means of a cold water pipe GI and a hot water pipe 42. These pipes extend through the wall of a furnace 5 and furnace casing 50, and connect to the top of the body I, at the ports II and I2, respectively. They may serve as the support for the body I, by means of which it is fixed in position within the combustion chamber 5| of the furnace. It should be supported in such relation to the flames, shown as coming from the nozzle of an oil burner 6, that it does not receive any oil spray from the nozzle, which might deposit thereon as carbon, but rather is substantially centrally disposed above the flames as they rise in the combustion chamber. The deflector 3 is located between the upper and lower ends of the body I, adjustment being effected by such means as a poker I extended through the fire door 51 of the furnace.

The deflector serves to limit the effective area of the body I which is exposed to the flame. If the deflector is threaded down on the body 1, less area is exposed to the flames, and the flames are spread out by the deflector and pass around its edges without materially afiecting the portion of the body I which is above the deflector. This provides for the minimum rate of heating of hot water, and would be suitable for use when the oil burner is frequently turned on. When the oil burner is less frequently turned on, the deflector 3 may be threaded upward to or near the top of the body I, whereupon, whenever the oil burner is turned on, the largest area of the body I is exposed to the flames, consequently the highest rate of heating of water is effected.

The device is thus readily adjustable to suit conditions, and affords a means whereby the heating of water can be nicely adjusted to climatic conditions and to the domestic necessities.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination with a furnace, a water heater arranged for circulating connection to a hot water tank, and fixedly positioned within the combustion chamber of said furnace, and a deflector adjustable vertically along said water heater to vary the relative areas thereof which are exposed to and protected thereby from the flames within the combustion chamber.

2. In combination with a furnace, an upright water heater arranged for circulating connection to a hot water tank, and fixedly positioned within the combustion chamber of said furnace, and a deflector mounted on and adjustable vertically along said water heater to vary the rate of heating of the water circulating therethrough.

3. A water heater comprising a hollow body having connections for circulation of water therethrough, and a deflector mounted thereon, and projecting laterally therefrom to deflect flame away from said body, and arranged for adjustment vertically along the body to expose more or less of the body, below the deflector, to flames arising from below.

4. A water heater comprising a hollow, cylindrical, externally threaded body adapted to be exposed to the heat of a furnace or other source of heat, having connections for circulation of water therethrough, and a single disk threaded thereon for adjustment lengthwise of said body to vary the amount of surface of the body which extends toward the source of heat.

5. A water heater comprising a hollow, cylindrical, externally threaded body, having connections for circulation of water therethrough, a disk threaded thereon for adjustment lengthwise of said body, and upstanding lugs on one face of the disk for engagement by a poker or the like in adjusting said disk.

6. A Water heater comprising a hollow body, adapted to be disposed in an upright position in the combustion chamber of a furnace, and having connections at its top for intake of cold water and for discharge of hot water, a baffle therein compelling circulation of water close to its lower end, and a substantially horizontal deflector disk surrounding the body and adjustable lengthwise thereof.

7. The combination with a furnace of a water heater fixedly positioned within the furnace in relation to the fire to give substantially maximum heating at minimum firing, and arranged for circulating connection to a hot Water tank, and means movable longitudinally along said water heater to vary the effective area thereof which is exposed to the fire, to lessen the heating effect therein during greater than minimum firing.

8. A water heater comprising an upright hollow body having connections for circulation of water to and through the same, and a single deflector means mounted upon said body, the body and said deflector having interengageable means to support said deflector from the body, for adjustment of the deflector vertically along the body, to expose more or less of the body, below the deflector, to flames arising from below.

WILLIAM L. STEELE. 

